La vie en Rose
by Coronium
Summary: Team RNJR finally gets a free moment to rest after all of their ordeals, only to find that neither time nor romance wait forever.


Jaune, Ren, and Nora sat in their small rented room, enjoying the comfortable silence. Though Ruby had opted to stay with her Uncle Qrow, the three had chosen to share one. It seemed only right, after all this time. To Ren and Nora, who had been together for so long, Jaune had become another member of the family. They had all lost so much, but their bond had only become stronger. The cityscape outside their window seemed to glow with a warm light, banishing all of the fear and anxiety that they hadn't even realized had been building up inside of them for so long. They had been meeting up like this for a few weeks now, while Qrow recovered, and though the time passed in silence, they only became closer. Jaune let out a contented sigh, and Ren fell back onto the bed. Nora leaned her head back onto the mattress as well to so she could keep both Ren and Jaune in her sight. It was Jaune who broke the silence first.

"So, I know this might seem kind of sudden, but do you guys realize how long we were on the road for?"

Nora shook her head and Ren answered. "I tried to keep track of the dates, but after we were attacked, that didn't seem as important."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. It wasn't until I went out for supplies this morning that it hit me. There are hearts everywhere, and everyone seems to be out in pairs."

Understanding suddenly dawned on Nora's face.

"You mean it's already the 14th?!"

"That's right," Jaune answered with a smile.

"What's so important about the 14th ," Ren asked.

"How could you now know!?"

"Easy, Nora, he was sick that day, remember? He couldn't make it out with us."

"Oh, that's right."

"Mind filling me in on what I missed?"

Jaune nodded. "A while back, there was that acting troupe that was travelling around the kingdoms. They stopped by and gave a live performance at Beacon, remember?"

Ren nodded as the memory resurfaced. "Yes, I remember, I couldn't attend due to the sudden case of food poisoning."

"Yeah," Nora added. "It was when you ate that . . . fruit salad . . ."

Her face seemed to turn green at just the memory, and Jaune was certain that he could see wartime flashbacks running through her eyes. Black and white photos of tomatoes were prominent.

"Well anyway," Jaune pushed on, "They were recreating that lost story. You know the one, the story of Chrome-io and Jeweliet."

Ren nodded to show that he was following, "But what does this have to do with the 14th?"

"Well, it's set in a world without Grimm. In the play, the two star crossed lovers (whose families are involved in a feud) decide to meet on the 14th, but they're found out by both their families. When the two arrive at their secret meeting place, they find the families waiting there. They make a run for it. By the time their families track them down, it's too late. They've taken their own lives."

"How sad."

"Yes, it really is. And the music they play during the reveal just kind of makes you tear up . . ."

Jaune actually began to tear up then and there, but Nora patted his back and encouraged him to continue.

"Well, here's the thing. In the play, the loss finally makes the two families see how much their hatred had cost them, and they make peace. They decide to make the 14th of this month a holiday. It's a day to cherish your loved ones and spread love rather than hate."

Ren nodded again, "and this has become popular recently, I take it?"

"Well, yeah. They did this play everywhere, and since it's such an ancient tale, they've been asked to perform everywhere. Even schools have asked them to come due to its 'cultural significance.' So the whole custom became really widespread. It keeps getting more and more popular."

"Which brings us to today!" Nora added energetically. "It's the 14th! We should go out and celebrate!"

"My thoughts exactly, Nora," Jaune answered with a smile. "Well, kind of, anyway."

"What else did you have in mind?"Ren asked, his curiosity getting the best of him.

"Well, I want you two to go out and celebrate. Have a good time. On me."

Nora and Ren immediately began to protest, but Jaune held up his hands, asking them to relax.

"Look, I know we're family, but I think it would be good for you two to spend some time with just each other. God knows you don't get enough opportunities for some privacy on the road."

"I still don't know . . ."

"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine, honest. Besides, there's a special someone I want to spend tonight with too, so I won't be alone.

Ren and Nora gave each other a small, but knowing look. They had seen how he and Ruby had become closer over their journey. Ruby hadn't discussed what had happened before she had left home, but spending time with their team leader had seemed to ease the pain. Ren nodded and stood up, offering his hand to Nora. She took it and allowed him to help her up before she practically dragged him through the door.

Jaune could only laugh as they left, knowing they would enjoy themselves. Then, he got up, and began to set the table. A romantic dinner for two on the most romantic night of the year. Nothing could go wrong.

As they passed by the room where Ruby and Qrow were staying, Nora squeezed Ren's hand, signaling for him to stop. She knocked on the door.

Ruby answered after a moment, wiping sleep out of her eyes.

"Oh, Hey, Nora, Ren, what's up?" she asked.

Nora tried her best to smile.

"Well, we're heading out for the night. I just . . . I just wanted to let you know that Jaune wants to see you, when you have a chance."

Ruby nodded, yawning once.

"Sure thing. Just let me wash the sleep out of my eyes."

Nora nodded, but didn't say anymore as she walked off. Ren patted her back as they went, trying to comfort her.

"I know that was hard, but you did the right thing. I miss her just as much as you do, but she's gone now. And they both deserve to be happy."

Nora sniffled once, but nodded. She knew he was right, but it still hurt to watch Jaune slip away after having tried to help Pyrrha for so long. But she couldn't deny Jaune happiness, if this was indeed his chance to be happy. So instead, she wiped her eyes, and then slapped her cheeks a few times, flashing that award winning smile.

"Alright, let's go paint this town pink!"

"I think the expression is 'red,' Nora."

"We can do that too!" she said with a laugh as they walked out onto the street.

It was a little while later that Ruby finally knocked on the door where her teammates were staying. She wondered what he needed to talk to her about. Her cheeks reddened a bit as she suddenly remembered what day it was, but she quickly tried to suppress that thought. Jaune was just her friend, and a friend who was still trying to cope with his loss. She couldn't let her mind wander like that. She knew that that couldn't be the case. So instead, she knocked again, and waited.

When he didn't answer, she began to worry. Trying the door, she found it unlocked. She pushed it open slowly and poked her head inside.

"Jaune?"

But there was no answer, so she entered further into the room. She found him a few moments later, sitting in a darkened room at the most romantically decorated candlelit dinner for two she could have imagined. He smiled when he saw her, and she smiled back.

-Only to suddenly freeze when she saw that he was not alone. The other girl sat across from him, a simple smile on her face, but Ruby could not return that smile. Her blood ran cold.

"J-Jaune . . . what is that?"

"RUBY! Don't be rude. You know who this is."

His sudden anger made her jump, but the way his smile returned only a moment later made it even worse. Ruby looked once more at the girl across the table. Her limbs were long and malformed. Her smile and happy expression were flat, the stitching something awful. Her red hair was cheap and even in the dim lighting looked completely artificial. It could only pass has human in the dark, and she suddenly knew that no darkness could hide this. The felt skin and red cloth came together in one shape. As if someone had taken the poor girl and tried to recreate her from memory. A horrible memory. A fever dream. A nightmare.

Jaune's voice snapped her out of her shock.

"Ruby, I'm sure you remember Pyrrha. Go on, say hi."

Ruby's throat suddenly tightened. "Jaune . . . That's not Pyrrha."

"Hey, now. I already told you, there's no need to be rude."

"Jaune, please, you have to help me understand. What is that horrible thing!?"

Jaune's fist slammed down on the table, causing Ruby to jump.

"NO! No she's not a horrible thing! She's the latest in a new line of plushies and she's available for $24.99 at the Rooster Teeth Store!"


End file.
